Have a Cup of Joe

[ilikeitblack]

I've heard this phrase many, many times before and have never known what Joe and coffee have in common. Everyone knows what a cup of Joe is. How did the word "Joe" come about. Do you know?

[Kristin]

I've read several conflicting stories about this. One story I've read says that "Joe" actually stands for Jolt Of Energy, and was a slang term that the army used. Another story claims that the reference actually came from the Navy, where a high ranking official named Josephus banned wine and wouldn't allow sailors to drink anything stronger than coffee, earning it the nickname "cup of Joe". Still another story claims that it's called a "cup of Joe" because "Joe" is a common name and coffee is a common man's drink. I have no clue which of these are true, or if they are all false!

[jesse]

I agree that there are several versions explaning the meaning of the phrase "Cup of Joe", Kristin.

Here's what it comes from, according to the coffee4dummies article -Coffee Glossary http://www.coffee4dummies.com/coffee_glossary . It is the same vesrion about the Navy's Secretary, Josephus Daniels :

Joe or Cup of Joe – the name goes back to the mid 1840’s when the Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels prohibited alcohol consumption on ships. He has ordered that mariners should be served only coffee instead. Thus, a cup of coffee began to be called “a cup of Joe”. However, it is still an open question because there is a version that the famous phrase has been put in practice much earlier than this event.

[Derek]

Whatever this expression comes from, it sounds so good and to the point when talking about coffee that I never thought about its origins before.
Anyway, thank you for explaining its sense

[paul77]

Now that we know what the word "Joe" in the "Cup of Joe" stands for, I wonder what are its analogues in other languages? Does anyone know?

[michael]

Do you often hear a lot of people saying this way?

[melissa]

Wow, interesting explanation! I have never thought about its meaning before.